Science review: Mechanisms of beta-receptor stimulation-induced improvement of acute lung injury and pulmonary edema

Acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome are complex syndromes because both inflammatory and coagulation cascades cause lung injury. Transport of salt and water, repair and remodeling of the lung, apoptosis, and necrosis are additional important mechanisms of injury. Alveolar edema is cleared by active transport of salt and water from the alveoli into the lung interstitium by complex cellular mechanisms. Beta-2 agonists act on the cellular mechanisms of pulmonary edema clearance as well as other pathways relevant to repair in ALI. Numerous studies suggest that the beneficial effects of beta-2 agonists in ALI include at least enhanced fluid clearance from the alveolar space, anti-inflammatory actions, and bronchodilation. The purposes of the present review are to consider the effects of beta agonists on three mechanisms of improvement of lung injury: edema clearance, anti-inflammatory effects, and bronchodilation. This update reviews specifically the evidence on the effects of beta-2 agonists in human ALI and in models of ALI. The available evidence suggests that beta-2 agonists may be efficacious therapy in ALI. Further randomized controlled trials of beta agonists in pulmonary edema and in acute lung injury are necessary.     

Aldosterone alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury by regulating epithelial sodium channel through PI3K/Akt/SGK1 signaling pathway

Reduced alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) is a major pathological feature of acute lung injury (ALI). Epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) plays a key role in regulating the transport of Na⁺ and clearing alveolar edema fluid effectively. ENaC has been reported to be regulated by aldosterone in the distal collecting tube of the kidney. We hypothesized whether aldosterone regulated ENaC in alveolar epithelium and correspondingly played a role in ALI. In this study we found that the expression of aldosterone synthesis encoding gene, CYP11B2, and ENaC were decreased in the lung tissue of LPS-induced ALI mice. Furthermore, aldosterone alleviated ALI by increasing the expression of ENaC-α and relieving pulmonary edema. Besides, we found that aldosterone upregulated ENaC-α through PI3K/Akt/SGK1 pathway. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that aldosterone attenuated pulmonary edema by upregulating ENaC-α through the PI3K/Akt/SGK1 pathway in LPS-induced ALI, indicating that aldosterone might be a promising adjuvant drug for ALI treatment.     

肺泡内液体清除与肺水肿的研究进展

肺水肿是急性肺损伤(ALI)病理进程中的中心环节,与肺泡毛细血管通透性增加和肺泡内液体清除减少有关。以往对肺泡毛细血管通透性导致的肺水肿研究较多,而对肺泡内液体清除在肺水肿形成中的作用关注不足。肺泡内液体清除受水通道蛋白、钠离子通道、钠钾ATP酶的影响。认识肺泡内液体清除机制有望能为临床医师治疗ALI提供参考。     

Alveolar epithelium and Na,K-ATPase in acute lung injury

Active transport of sodium across the alveolar epithelium, undertaken in part by the Na,K-adenosine triphosphatase (Na,K-ATPase), is critical for clearance of pulmonary edema fluid and thus the outcome of patients with acute lung injury. Acute lung injury results in disruption of the alveolar epithelial barrier and leads to impaired clearance of edema fluid and altered Na,K-ATPase function. There has been significant progress in the understanding of mechanisms regulating alveolar edema clearance and signaling pathways modulating Na,K-ATPase function during lung injury. The accompanying review by Morty et al. focuses on intact organ and animal models as well as clinical studies assessing alveolar fluid reabsorption in alveolar epithelial injury. Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying regulation of active Na⁺ transport, as well as the pathways by which the Na,K-ATPase regulates epithelial barrier function and edema clearance, are of significance to identify interventional targets to improve outcomes of patients with acute lung injury. This article refers to the articles available at: and .     

大黄对内毒素诱导致急性肺损伤的保护作用

目的：探讨内毒素在急性肺损伤（ＡＬＩ０中的作用机制及大黄,地塞米松对ＡＬＩ的保护作用。方法：在Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠舌下静脉注射内毒素（ＬＰＳ）复制ＡＬＩ动物模型。动物分为４组：ＬＰＳ致伤组,对照组（生理盐水）,地塞米松治疗组,大黄治疗组。肉眼观察肺大体标本;普通光镜检查肺组织病理变化;电镜观察肺组织超微结构;测定ＡＬＩ的生物学指标;肺湿重与干重比,肺泡灌洗液中中性粒细胞比例和蛋白含量,肺泡通透指数和肺     

Stimulation of lung epithelial liquid clearance by endogenous release of catecholamines in septic shock in anesthetized rats.

Exogenous administration of beta-adrenergic agonists has previously been reported to increase lung liquid clearance by stimulation of active sodium transport across the alveolar epithelium. We hypothesized for this study that endogenous release of epinephrine in septic shock would stimulate liquid clearance from the airspaces in rats. Liquid clearance from the air spaces was measured by the concentration of protein over 4 h in a test solution of 5% albumin instilled into one lung. Bacteremic rats developed severe systemic hypotension and metabolic acidosis that was associated with a 100-fold rise in plasma epinephrine levels. There was a 100% increase in liquid clearance from the airspaces of the lung in the bacteremic compared with control rats. To determine the mechanisms responsible for this accelerated lung liquid clearance, amiloride (10(-3) M), a sodium transport inhibitor, was added to the air spaces. Amiloride prevented the increase in liquid clearance from the airspaces, indicating that this effect depended on increased uptake of sodium across the lung epithelium. The addition of propranolol (10(-4) or 10(-5) M) to the instillate also prevented the acceleration in alveolar liquid clearance in the bacteremic rats. We conclude that the release of endogenous catecholamines associated with septic shock markedly stimulates fluid clearance from the distal airspaces of the lung by a beta-adrenergic mediated stimulation of active sodium transport across the epithelial barrier. This data provides evidence for a previously unrecognized mechanism that can protect against or hasten the resolution of alveolar edema in pathological conditions, such as septic shock, that are associated with the endogenous release of catecholamines.     

Acute respiratory distress syndrome and lung injury: Pathogenetic mechanism and therapeutic implication

To review possible mechanisms and therapeutics for acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ALI/ARDS causes high mortality. The risk factors include head injury, intracranial disorders, sepsis, infections and others. Investigations have indicated the detrimental role of nitric oxide (NO) through the inducible NO synthase (iNOS). The possible therapeutic regimen includes extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, prone position, fluid and hemodynamic management and permissive hypercapnic acidosis etc. Other pharmacological treatments are anti-inflammatory and/or antimicrobial agents, inhalation of NO, glucocorticoids, surfactant therapy and agents facilitating lung water resolution and ion transports. β-adrenergic agonists are able to accelerate lung fluid and ion removal and to stimulate surfactant secretion. In conscious rats, regular exercise training alleviates the endotoxin-induced ALI. Propofol and N-acetylcysteine exert protective effect on the ALI induced by endotoxin. Insulin possesses anti-inflammatory effect. Pentobarbital is capable of reducing the endotoxin-induced ALI. In addition, nicotinamide or niacinamide abrogates the ALI caused by ischemia/reperfusion or endotoxemia. This review includes historical retrospective of ALI/ARDS, the neurogenic pulmonary edema due to head injury, the detrimental role of NO, the risk factors, and the possible pathogenetic mechanisms as well as therapeutic regimen for ALI/ARDS.     

Alveolar fluid clearance in acute lung injury: what have we learned from animal models and clinical studies?

Background Acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome continue to be significant causes of morbidity and mortality in the intensive care setting. The failure of patients to resolve the alveolar edema associated with these conditions is a major contributing factor to mortality; hence there is continued interest to understand the mechanisms of alveolar edema fluid clearance. Discussion The accompanying review by Vadász et al. details our current understanding of the signaling mechanisms and cellular processes that facilitate clearance of edema fluid from the alveolar compartment, and how these signaling processes may be exploited in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. To complement that report this review focuses on how intact organ and animal models and clinical studies have facilitated our understanding of alveolar edema fluid clearance in acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Furthermore, it considers how what we have learned from these animal and organ models and clinical studies has suggested novel therapeutic avenues to pursue. This article refers to the articles available at: and     

Identification and partial characterization of angiogenesis bioactivity in the lower respiratory tract after acute lung injury.

Survival after acute lung injury (ALI) depends on prompt alveolar repair, a process frequently subverted by the development of granulation tissue within the alveolar airspace. Immunohistochemical examination of the intraalveolar granulation tissue confirmed that capillaries as well as myofibroblasts were the principal cellular constituents. We therefore hypothesized that angiogenesis factors would be present on the air-lung interface after ALI. To evaluate this hypothesis, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with ALI (n = 25) and patient controls (n = 8) was examined for angiogenesis bioactivity by its ability of induce endothelial cell migration. While lavage fluid from controls had no bioactivity, lavage fluid from 72% of patients with ALI promoted endothelial cell migration. Heparin affinity, ion exchange, and gel filtration chromatography resolved the bioactivity into at least two moieties. One appeared identical to the well characterized endothelial cell growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor. The other was a 150-kD non-heparin binding protein that mediated endothelial cell migration and attachment in vitro, and the growth of new vessels in vivo. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the growth of capillaries into the alveolar airspace results from angiogenesis factors present on the alveolar surface of the lung after ALI.     

肺复张手法对急性肺损伤大鼠肺泡上皮细胞屏障功能的影响

目的 观察肺复张手法对急性肺损伤（ALI）大鼠肺泡上皮细胞屏障功能的影响。方法雄性清洁级SD大鼠48只，静脉注射脂多糖（LPS）复制ALI模型，随机分为对照组、ALI模型组（ALI组）、小潮气量（VT）通气组（LV组）和肺复张联合小VT通气组（SI组）。采用控制性肺膨胀（SI）实施肺复张手法。机械通气4h后，观察肺组织病理学改变；采用末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶介导的dUTP缺口末端标记法（TUNEL）检测肺泡上皮细胞凋亡情况；用重力法测定血管外肺水（EVLW）含量；用单核素示踪技术测定肺泡上皮细胞通透性改变；用逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT—PCR）检测肺组织肺泡表面活性蛋白-C（SP—C）mRNA表达；用酶联免疫吸附法（ELISA）检测支气管肺泡灌洗液（BALF）中白细胞介素-6（IL-6）和IL-10浓度。结果 光镜下，SI组肺组织损伤程度轻于ALI组和LV组。LV组凋亡肺泡上皮细胞散在分布，SI组凋亡上皮细胞明显减少。与对照组相比，ALI组、LV组及SI组肺损伤评分和EVLW均显著升高；与ALI组比较，LV组和SI组肺损伤评分显著降低，SI组肺损伤评分及EVLW显著低于LV组（P均〈0．05）。与对照组相比，ALI组、LV组及SI组肺组织SP—C mRNA表达均显著降低，而SI组肺组织SP—C mRNA表达显著高于LV组（P〈0．05），但与ALI组比较差异无显著性。ALI组、LV组和SI组BALF中IL-6和IL-10浓度均显著高于对照组（P均〈0．05），SI组IL-6浓度显著低于LV组（P〈0．05）。各组肺泡上皮细胞通透性间比较差异均无显著性。结论 肺复张手法可以减轻ALI肺组织病理损伤，增加肺泡上皮细胞SP—C mRNA的合成，下调肺部炎症反应，改善肺泡上皮细胞屏障功能。     

Dexmedetomidine enhances human lung fluid clearance through improving alveolar sodium transport

Accumulating evidence shows that dexmedetomidine can attenuate lung edema with acute lung injury in experimental mouse and rat models, but the mechanisms of dexmedetomidine on human alveolar fluid transport are still unknown. We measured the effects of dexmedetomidine on alveolar fluid clearance in human lung lobes ex vivo. Moreover, we measured the regulation of transepithelial Na⁺ transport by dexmedetomidine in H441 cells by electrophysiological technique and Western blot method. Our results showed that intratracheal instillation of dexmedetomidine markedly increased the reabsorption of 5% bovine serum albumin instillate (19.8 ± 1.4%, P < 0.01 vs. Control, n = 5). Further studies suggested that dexmedetomidine increased amiloride‐sensitive short‐circuit currents in permeabilized H441 monolayers and whole cell amiloride‐sensitive Na⁺ currents in a dose‐dependent fashion. Real‐time PCR and Western blot results showed that dexmedetomidine could enhance the mRNA and protein expression of α‐ENaC subunit, while inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK_1/2. These data demonstrate that dexmedetomidine could improve human lung fluid clearance and lung epithelial Na⁺ channel activity, and these effects may be mediated through the enhancement of α‐ENaC expression and inhibition of ERK_1/2 pathway.     

Stimulation of alveolar epithelial fluid clearance in human lungs by exogenous epinephrine

OBJECTIVES: Because several experimental studies have demonstrated that cyclic adenosine monophosphate generation following beta-adrenoceptor activation can markedly stimulate alveolar fluid clearance, we determined whether the endogenous levels of catecholamines that occur in the pulmonary edema fluid and plasma of patients with acute lung injury are high enough to stimulate alveolar fluid clearance in the human lung. DESIGN: Observational clinical study. SETTING: Academic university hospital and laboratory. PATIENTS: Twenty-one patients with acute pulmonary edema plus ex vivo human lungs. INTERVENTIONS: Measurements of catecholamine levels in patient samples and controlled laboratory studies of the effects of these catecholamine levels on the rates of alveolar fluid clearance in ex vivo human lungs. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The concentrations of both epinephrine and norepinephrine in the pulmonary edema fluid and plasma were approximately 10 M (range of 1-8x10 M) in hydrostatic pulmonary edema (n=6) and acute lung injury patients (n=15). We therefore tested whether 10 M epinephrine or norepinephrine stimulated alveolar fluid clearance in isolated human lungs and found that these epinephrine or norepinephrine concentrations did not stimulate alveolar fluid clearance. However, higher concentrations of epinephrine (10 M), but not norepinephrine (10 M), significantly stimulated alveolar fluid clearance by 84% above control. Glibenclamide (10 M) and CFTRinh-172 (10 M), cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator inhibitors, completely inhibited the epinephrine-induced stimulation of alveolar fluid clearance. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that endogenous catecholamine concentrations in pulmonary edema fluid are probably not sufficient to stimulate alveolar fluid clearance. In contrast, administration of exogenous catecholamines into the distal airspaces can stimulate alveolar fluid clearance in the human lung, an effect that is mediated in part by cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. Therefore, exogenous cyclic adenosine monophosphate-dependent stimulation will probably be required to accelerate the resolution of alveolar edema in the lungs of patients with pulmonary edema.     

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and clinical outcomes in patients with acute lung injury

Objective  To determine if levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), a marker of alveolar epithelial and endothelial injury, differ in patients with hydrostatic pulmonary edema and acute lung injury (ALI) and are associated with clinical outcomes in patients with ALI. Design, setting, and participants  Measurement of sICAM-1 levels in (1) plasma and edema fluid from 67 patients with either hydrostatic pulmonary edema or ALI enrolled in an observational, prospective single center study, and (2) in plasma from 778 patients with ALI enrolled in a large multi-center randomized controlled trial of ventilator strategy. Results  In the single-center study, levels of sICAM-1 were significantly higher in both edema fluid and plasma (median 938 and 545 ng/ml, respectively) from ALI patients compared to hydrostatic edema patients (median 384 and 177 ng/ml, P < 0.03 for both comparisons). In the multi-center study, higher plasma sICAM-1 levels were associated with poor clinical outcomes in both unadjusted and multivariable models. Subjects with ALI whose plasma sICAM-1 levels increased over the first 3 days of the study had a higher risk of death, after adjusting for other important predictors of outcome (odds ratio 1.48; 95% CI 1.03–2.12, P = 0.03). Conclusions  Both plasma and edema fluid levels of sICAM-1 are higher in patients with ALI than in patients with hydrostatic pulmonary edema. Higher plasma sICAM-1 levels and increasing sICAM-1 levels over time are associated with poor clinical outcomes in ALI. Measurement of sICAM-1 levels may be useful for identifying patients at highest risk of poor outcomes from ALI. The members of the NHLBI ARDS Clinical Trials Network are listed in the Appendix.     

Hydrostatic mechanisms may contribute to the pathogenesis of human re-expansion pulmonary edema

Objective The primary objective was to test the hypothesis that clinical re-expansion pulmonary edema is predominantly due to increased permeability of the alveolar-capillary barrier. A secondary objective was to determine if the alveolar epithelium was functionally intact in patients with re-expansion pulmonary edema by measuring net alveolar epithelial fluid transport in a subset of patients.Design Retrospective study of mechanically ventilated patients with re-expansion pulmonary edema.Setting Two academic tertiary care hospitals.Patients Seven patients with acute onset of re-expansion pulmonary edema after tube thoracostomy or thoracentesis.Interventions Pulmonary edema fluid and plasma were collected at the time of onset of re-expansion edema.Measurements and results Contrary to our hypothesis, the mean initial edema fluid to plasma protein ratio was 0.58±0.21, supporting a hydrostatic mechanism of edema formation. Four of the patients had an initial edema fluid to plasma protein ratio of less than 0.65, consistent with pure hydrostatic pulmonary edema, while the others had a slight increase in permeability (edema fluid to plasma ratios of 0.67, 0.71 and 0.77), perhaps due to capillary stress failure from hydrostatic stress. Alveolar fluid clearance (mean 9.8±8.0%/h) was intact in the subset of three patients in whom it was measured.Conclusions This study provides the first direct evidence that hydrostatic forces may contribute to the development of re-expansion pulmonary edema.This study was supported by NIH HL51856 (MAM) and NIH HL70521 (LBW)     

NLRP3 炎症体在肺损伤中的研究进展

急性肺损伤（acutelunginjury，ALI）是由多种非心源性致病因素所导致的毛细血管膜通透性增高的急性进行性低氧性呼吸功能不全或呼吸衰竭。促炎介质的释放和细胞凋亡在ALI的发生和发展过程中产生了重要的作用。尽管ALI的发病机制和治疗手段已经取得了很大的发展，但是其病死率仍然达到40％。细胞因子、炎症趋化因子和黏附分子分泌过度失调的炎症反应促进了ALI的发展。     

促红细胞生成素在急性肺损伤与急性呼吸窘迫综合征中作用的研究进展

急性肺损伤（ALI）或急性呼吸窘迫综合征（ARDS）是临床常见急危重症。各种病因包括严重感染、创伤、休克、急性胰腺炎、肺炎等肺内或肺外因素均可导致ALI/ARDS,发病机制主要包括炎症反应、细胞凋亡、氧化应激和肺泡毛细血管膜的损害等,目前尚无特殊有效的治疗方法,临床上也无修复肺损伤的有效药物。促红细胞生成素（EPO）作为一种多功能的内源性调节因子对各种组织损伤有一定的细胞保护作用,尤其是肺组织〔1〕,成为治疗ALI/ARDS的研究热点,     

The biological activity of FasL in human and mouse lungs is determined by the structure of its stalk region

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening condition in critically ill patients. Injury to the alveolar epithelium is a critical event in ALI, and accumulating evidence suggests that it is linked to proapoptotic Fas/FasL signals. Active soluble FasL (sFasL) is detectable in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of patients with ALI, but the mechanisms controlling its bioactivity are unclear. We therefore investigated how the structure of sFasL influences cellular activation in human and mouse lungs and the role of oxidants and proteases in modifying sFasL activity. The sFasL in BAL fluid from patients with ALI was bioactive and present in high molecular weight multimers and aggregates. Oxidants generated from neutrophil myeloperoxidase in BAL fluid promoted aggregation of sFasL in vitro and in vivo. Oxidation increased the biological activity of sFasL at low concentrations but degraded sFasL at high concentrations. The amino-terminal extracellular stalk region of human sFasL was required to induce lung injury in mice, and proteolytic cleavage of the stalk region by MMP-7 reduced the bioactivity of sFasL in human cells in vitro. The sFasL recovered from the lungs of patients with ALI contained both oxidized methionine residues and the stalk region. These data provide what we believe to be new insights into the structural determinants of sFasL bioactivity in the lungs of patients with ALI.     

Alveolar fluid clearance is faster in women with acute lung injury compared to men

PurposeStudies suggest that there is a sex difference in the development and outcomes of acute lung injury (ALI). Few studies have directly addressed the association of sex and alveolar fluid clearance (AFC), a process that is critical to ALI resolution.Materials and MethodsTo test the hypothesis that female sex is associated with an increased AFC rate, we measured AFC rates in 150 mechanically ventilated patients with acute pulmonary edema and a pulmonary edema fluid-to-plasma protein ratio (EF/PL) diagnostic of low permeability (EF/PL <0.65, n = 69) or high permeability (EF/PL ≥0.65, n = 81) edema. We measured protein concentration in serial samples of undiluted EF collected within 6 hours of intubation and calculated net rate of AFC. In addition, plasma levels of receptor for advanced glycation end products were measured as a surrogate marker for alveolar epithelial injury.ResultsIn patients with ALI, women had higher rates of net AFC at 4 hours compared to men (11.9% per hour vs 4.3% per hour, P = .017) and more women had maximal rates of AFC. There were no differences in circulating levels of receptor for advanced glycation end products between men and women.ConclusionsThese findings may have significant implications for future ALI studies and potential therapies.     

Increased reabsorption of alveolar edema fluid in the obese Zucker rat

Diabetic patients have a decreased incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome, but the mechanism responsible for the decreased incidence is uncertain. Reabsorption of alveolar edema fluid (alveolar fluid clearance) has been considered to play an important role in resolution of acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, little is known regarding alveolar fluid clearance in diabetes mellitus. Since the obese Zucker rat has been used as an experimental model for diabetes mellitus, we determined if alveolar fluid clearance increased in the obese Zucker rat. First, we compared alveolar fluid clearance in obese Zucker rats with that in lean Zucker rats and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Then, we determined the role of sodium channel, Na,K-ATPase, and beta(2)-adrenoceptor, which drives alveolar fluid clearance, in obese Zucker rats. Alveolar fluid clearance was estimated by the progressive increase in alveolar albumin concentrations in the isolated lungs. We found that basal alveolar fluid clearance in obese Zucker rats was two-fold greater than that in lean Zucker rats and SD rats. The mRNA expression of alpha(1)-, beta(1)-Na, K-ATPase and beta(2)-adrenoceptor, but not mRNA expression of sodium channel, increased in obese Zucker rats. A selective beta(2)-agrenergic antagonist, but not a Na, K-ATPase inhibitor, specifically inhibited the increase in alveolar fluid clearance in obese Zucker rats. These results indicate that overexpression of beta(2)-adrenoceptor primarily increases basal alveolar fluid clearance in the obese Zucker rat. We speculate that the stimulation of alveolar fluid clearance ameliorates acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with diabetes mellitus.     

Subunit-specific coordinate upregulation of sodium pump activity in alveolar epithelial cells by lentivirus-mediated gene transfer

Resolution of alveolar edema depends on active ion transport by sodium pumps located on the basolateral surface of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs), suggesting that upregulation of sodium pump activity may facilitate clearance of edema fluid. We have investigated the use of lentiviral vectors to augment sodium pump activity via gene transfer of sodium pump subunits to AECs. Full-length cDNA for the alpha(1) or beta(1) subunit of rat Na(+),K(+)-ATPase was cloned into the lentiviral vector pRRLsin.hCMV.IRES.EGFP. Rat AECs in primary culture were transduced on day 4 with lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein G. Transduction with lentiviral vectors encoding either alpha(1) subunit (Lenti-alpha(1)-EGFP) or beta(1) subunit (Lenti-beta(1)-EGFP) led to dose-dependent increases in mRNA and protein for the corresponding subunit. Transduction with Lenti-beta(1)-EGFP was accompanied by coordinate upregulation of endogenous alpha(1) expression, whereas endogenous beta(1) expression was unchanged after transduction with Lenti-alpha(1)-EGFP. Consistent with these findings, transduction with Lenti-beta(1)-EGFP, but not Lenti-alpha(1)-EGFP, led to augmentation of sodium pump activity as a result of increases in Na(+),K(+)-ATPase holoenzyme. Sodium pump alpha(2) subunit and sodium channel protein did not change after Lenti-beta(1)-EGFP transduction. These results demonstrate that overall sodium pump activity can be efficiently upregulated in AECs specifically via gene transfer of the sodium pump beta(1) subunit and support the feasibility of lentivirus-mediated gene transfer to augment alveolar fluid clearance.